NYX: No Way Home #1Review

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The streets are rough, even for a mutant.

By Daniel Crown

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Enjoy!

Somewhere amongst all the X-23 hoopla, the story of Kiden Nixon found itself relegated as a sideshow of sorts. As a band of collectors turned a quick buck on EBay, the true star of NYX fell victim to those propagating the monetary value of comics over any residual literary profits. Now that we're finally presented with a clone-free interpretation of NYX, it should be interesting to see how the series survives without an abundance of mass media attention or the pageantry associated with the collectible aspects of the industry.

The things that make No Way Home an interesting read are the very same characteristics that worked so well for the original miniseries. The harsh urban aesthetic avoids the typical high-school drama inherent in stories about teenagers, instead focusing on the unfortunate actions of a group of kids forced to grow up before they are ready. In many ways NYX feels like a more somber version of Runaways, an air both compelling and pertinent.

The art of No Way Home is clean and detailed. The city itself becomes a main member of the cast, so Andrasofszky's attention to the background is equally appealing and vital. He seems to design his frames cinematically, drawing characters into focus while the city becomes a hazy, yet detailed, backdrop to the people who populate it. This goes a long way towards clear storytelling, which ultimately stands as the artist's most important job.

Also worth noting, is that Marjorie Liu has a good grasp on the modern vernacular, mostly avoiding a Juno-like overabundance of slang and bombastic phraseology. These characters feel proper in both age and intellect which creates an atmosphere that feels somewhat akin to what you might read in an independent comic like Demo or Local.

But that's also where No Way Home begins to suffer. It isn't quite as good as the books it tries to emulate. Most of the grounded realities in this first issue come in a somewhat passing manner, the emotional resonance somewhat lacking. If you're going to write a story about not being able to pay the rent, even if it is framed around a few incidents of unexplained violence, a certain amount of poignancy is required to ward off boredom.

Beyond that, Liu's script feels entirely too decompressed for an introductory issue. The book opens with a flash-forward that doesn't even come close to being paid off on by the installment's end, while the rest of the issue avoids any real declaratory purpose. I understand the need to hook readers, but in this case, using the flash-forward as an attention-grabbing device feels both uninspired and cliché. Liu never returns to the scene, making it standout as hasty at best, or temerarious at worst.

I don't mean to come off too harsh on this title. There's a lot to like here. I was a huge proponent of the first series, despite its delays, and I honestly believe that these characters are strong enough to more firmly root themselves in the Marvel Universe. And beyond allegiances, the few clues Liu does drop as to the villains and transpirations of the story serve as mostly intriguing. No Way Home certainly deserves a second chance, merited mostly on strong characterizations and feasible motivations; I just hope the meat of the story can pick up a little steam as we trudge ahead.